Guide to MAC Concealers

I know how easy it is to get lost and feel completely confused on the MAC counter, looking through their concealer range in the attempt to buy one. I personaly like them a lot, mostly because, you can choose not only from different colours, but also from different textures and finishes.

How to choose the colour, that matches your skin tone?

All MAC concealers are marked not only with numbers (from 15 to 60) to identify their colour intensity, but also with NC or NW letters. NC (as most of you already know) indicates yellow undertone in the MAC products and NW- pink. A fact that you maybe don’t know, is that all NW marked concealers (or foundations) are always darker, than NC. So, on the picture bellow, I have two Stidio Finish Concealers in NW 35 (left) and NC 35 (right).

As you can see, NW 35 is not only pink toned, but also a shade darker, than its neighbor.

Depends on what you need more, yellow toned concealer under the eyes is going to lighten up the skin, while pink toned will cover darkness better. My advice is to try different ones, before you choose. MAC gives you a huge choice NC’s from 15 to 55 and NW’s from 15 to 60. If you are looking for the lightest colour, take NC 15, because NW 15 is going to be darker.

Now let’s move to the concealers, from lightest to full coverage ones.

Select Moisture cover (4)

Lightweight, cream based, moisturising (as you can tell from the name) concealer with natural satin finish. It previously contained hyaluronic acid for more hydration, but now it doesn’t. It still has shea butter and squalene to make your skin softer, silica to make wrinkles less visible, vitamins C and E for protection purpose. It is the best concealer for an under the eyes area, and I also like, how natural it looks on young and mature skin. For the same reason it’s great for men makeup.

Prep+Prime Highlighter (6)

It is MAC version of Touch Eclat by YSL, a little bit more pigmented, I would say. They come in three colours: Light Boost (to brighten up olive skin tones), Rose Radiance (to make fair pink toned skin radiant and fresh), Bright Forecast (to hide ashy tones on dark or deeply tanned skin). These concealers mostly used under the eyes, under the brow bone and on the top of the cheek bones. They are filled with light diffusers, which is why, they are not suitable for hiding acne. Take this into consideration, when making up your mind, which product to buy, ’cause it’s obviously not a classic multy- purpose concealer and it is more expensive as well. If you have flawless skin and just need to add some extra freshness under the eyes, it is the ultimate choice for you.

Select Cover-up (5)

Water based concealer with shea butter. It looks very light in texture, but when you start working it into the skin, it gets much thicker. It has a matte finish, that is why looks best on the combination/ oily skin. It has very good tube packaging (easy to carry on with you and take as much product, as you need) and you can use it as a foundation while traveling so I never had any problems with it, despite the fact that it contains propylene glycol, which is supposed to make your skin softer, but can cause acne and allergic reactions, so be very careful. If you have any concerns, the effect doesn’t cost the risk.

Mineralize (2)

Brand new concealer in the range, filled with minerals and polysaccharides to keep your skin hydrated. It has a creamy texture, medium coverage and a satin finish (looks great on combination skin), perfect for under the eyes or tiny blemishes. I also think, that MAC did a very job on the colours in this range, they finally stopped doing unnatural pink and orange tones.

Pro Longwear (3)

Cream based concealer with natural matte finish and medium to full coverage. It is now the only one with hyaluronic acid for maximum hydration. The main minus of this product is the pump, which always leaves you with too much product left, no matter how softly you push. All MAC makeup artists love this concealer (and use it all over the face sometimes) for lovely blending options and luxuriously looking skin it gives. As long as it is a long-lasting product and contains a lot of polymers to ensure this effect, it can cause dryness on a thin, sensitive skin if you use it daily, also pink toned colours in this range is a little too pink (as in the foundation line), so choose carefully.

Studio Finish Spf 35 (1)

Cream based, full coverage concealer with a natural matte finish. The most matte concealer of all in MAC, still a little bit shiny. Contains vitamins A and E for skin protection and silica to absorb skin oil and make skin relief as pores and wrinkles less visible. Also has spf, so can look shiny on the photos (never happened to me though). This thing you need, if you have acne and you want to make them disappear. All makeup artists are in love with this product, ’cause it can be irreplaceable with his covering powers and compact packaging.

I hope, that it was useful for you and now you would come into MAC prepared and more confident in your decision regarding concealers.